JIAT: Arab Coalition Reviews Rules of Engagement Based on Lessons in Yemen

Riyadh – Official Spokesman of Joint Incidents Assessment Team in Yemen (JIAT) Legal advisor Mansour al-Mansour confirmed that the Arab coalition forces that support legitimate government in Yemen are carrying out an inclusive revision for the rules of engagement it follows.

Mansour said that the revision is based on the lessons learned by the team, adding that it comes in the context of any military operation.

There is conflicting information on some incidents that has happened recently, including bombing Khokha market and targeting refugees in Hodeidah, noted Mansour in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat.

He pointed out that the team still did not receive any information on these incidents to start the investigation process.

Mansour explained that the team has completed investigating 25 cases of those it received on war incidents in Yemen, adding that cases are still under investigation and follow-up.

He said that the team doesn’t prefer to announce the number of incidents that have been investigated, noting that soon JIAT will publish comprehensive statistics on the incidents.

Mansour told Asharq Al-Awsat that the team is comprised of 13 members from different Arab countries, who work independently and professionally and pursue the principle of transparency.

He said that the team is specialized in military and legal aspects and include members from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Yemen, Qatar, Bahrain and United Arab Emirates.

Notably, the leadership of the coalition that supports the legitimate government in Yemen announced in February 2016 the establishment of a high-level independent team in the field of weapons and international humanitarian law to assess incidents, verification procedures and the targeting mechanism followed and develop it to compile a clear and comprehensive report for each case independently.

The report, Mansour said, include conclusions, lessons learned, recommendations and future actions to be taken.

The coalition stressed its support for this team and confirmed that it respects and commits to the rules of the international humanitarian law and international human rights law and confirmed the adherence of the team’s leaders and members to these rules.